Prince George's County Afro-American Newspaper, December 4, 2010

December 4, 2010 - December 4, 2010, The Afro-American A1 Copyright © 2010 by the Afro-American Company Join the AFRO on Twitter and Facebook Hear the AFRO on The Daily Drum, Wednesday at 7 p.m. Continued on A5 PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDITION Volume 119 No. 17 DECEMBER 4, 2010 - DECEMBER 10, 2010 Steele on Thin Ice at Helm of Republican Party A5 Continued on A8 Web 2.0 Honors Maryland Businessmen B2 Wise Slips Past Broadneck B3 By George Barnette AFRO Sta Writer Rushern Baker had to wait eight years to become Prince George’s County executive. Now, as he prepares for the position he’s longed for, the reality of being in charge of one of the most talked about places in the region is nally beginning to set in. “I have had moments when I look and say, ‘wow,’” Baker said. “I think when you take on a new position, your idea of what you’re going to be faced with and the reality is, a lot of times, night and day. “What I can say is that I’m truly blessed to have this opportunity at this time,” he continued. “Given both the challenges and the opportunities of Prince George’s County, to come in as county executive is really humbling and exciting at the same time.” Baker begins his tenure during a tenuous time in the county. With his predecessor, Jack Johnson and his wife, District 6 Councilwoman-elect Leslie Johnson, having been arrested on corruption charges, Baker is not only tasked with moving the county forward, but restoring residents’ condence in local government. “One thing I have to do as county executive is be prepared on Dec. 6 to handle the critical issues facing Prince George’s County,” he said. “It’s our education system, it’s job creation and setting the standard that we’re going to demand that people who do business here follow all the rules and regulations and that all employees of the county, including those elected employees, follow all the rules and regulations.” Baker said he can’t concern himself with the Johnsons’ woes and will allow the court system to mull over their legal issues. He’s more concerned with improving the county. Part of his efforts will include improving the school system, which has already begun. Nonetheless, the Prince George’s County Public School System still lags behind its neighbors in Anne Arundel and Montgomery counties. Baker has ideas about providing more charter schools and choice schools for Prince George’s students in addition to providing more specialized vocational options at certain schools. However, he said the most pressing need is training and retaining quality teachers. “One of the things that I want to do is help make sure that we have programs that retain good teachers throughout Prince George’s County,” he said. “What a lot of people don’t realize is Rushern Baker Prepares or County’s Top Ofce AFRO File Photo/Rob Roberts Rushern Baker, county executive- elect, is working to be ready to govern when he is sworn in Dec. 6. By Zenitha Prince Washington Bureau Chief African Americans are still waiting for the “40 acres and a mule” promised them by the U.S. government almost two centuries ago. But, this week, Black farmers took one giant step closer to receiving the payouts due them from the settlement of a discrimination case against the U.S. Department of Agriculture. On Nov. 30 the U.S. House passed the Claims Resettlement Act by a vote of 256-152, thereby releasing $1.5 billion for restitution to Black farmers that were denied loans or otherwise discriminated against by USDA from 1981-1997. “It took many years of protests, phone calls, and even a mule ride and a tractor ride for the Black farmers to get the attention and support in Congress that could make today possible,” said John Boyd Jr., president of the National Black Farmers’ Association, Tuesday. “Even though this is not a By Michelle J. Nealy Maryland Newsline/CNS GREENBELT — A Langley Park store owner, his wife and a Prince George’s County Police corporal accused of conspiring to transport untaxed cigarettes and alcohol in Maryland and Virgi nia pleaded not guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court. Prince George’s County Police Cpl. Chong Chen Kim, 42, of Beltsville, was released until his jury trial in January. He was ordered by U.S. Magistrate Judge Jillyn K. Schulze to adhere to curfew calls until an electronic monitoring system could be set up for him. Ravinder Kaur Melhi, 49, who with husband Amrik Singh Melhi, 51, has ownership interests in Tick Tock Liquors in Langley Park, will be released Wednesday morning under a strict set of conditions that include a mental health evaluation, 24-hour electronic monitoring, no new travel plans and no purchases over $1,000. Ravinder Melhi petitioned the court for permission to attend religious services, but her request was denied. Her husband has not been released. Kenneth W. Ravenell, lawyer for Amrik Melhi, said afterward, “Obviously, there has been a plea of not guilty, so those charges are being disputed. There will be a day in court, and it will all come out in the wash.” More than 30 family members, friends and supporters crowded into the small courtroom to await the results of Rav inder Melhi’s arraignment and detention hearings, but they declined to comment afterward. Members of the Guru Nanak Foundation, a religious organization of which Ravinder Melhi is a member of the board of trustees, circulated a petition labeling the Melhis “very dedicated parents that are very much involved in the community (and) pose no threat.” The petition had more than 200 signatures on it, organization ofcials said. The Melhis and Kim were arrested Nov. 15 as part of a sweeping FBI corruption probe in Prince George’s County that also ensnared County Executive Jack Johnson and his wife, County Council member-elect Leslie Johnson. The Johnsons, charged Nov. 12 with evidence tampering and destruction of records related to county development deals, are Langley Park Store O wners, Police Corporal, Plead Not Guilty in Corruption Probe Continued on A8 Continued on A8 At Last! Black farmers bill passed but tough road still ahead Special to the AFRO For the second consecutive year, Bowie State University exceeded the state’s expectation of 25 percent for issuing contract awards to Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) during scal year 2010. MBE awards accounted for more than 31 percent or approximately $7.5 million of the University’ s overall contracts for the 12-month period. “The Division of Finance and Administration team has worked collaboratively to achieve this milestone for the second year in a row,” Vice President of Finance and Administration Karl Brockenbrough stated. “We are extremely proud of this success and we will continue to evaluate our approach to supporting minority-owned businesses as we move forward.” The state of Maryland has an aggressive MBE program with the 25 percent minority- and women-owned business contracting goals being the highest in the nation. Bowie State was one of a few state agencies to exceed the goal last year at 31.8 percent for scal year 2009, and continues to perform at the top in the state. “Increasing access to opportunities for Maryland’s minority and women- owned rms remains a top priority for the O’Malley-Brown Administration. As one of the state’s premier higher education institutions, Bowie State has been very proactive in their approach to increase minority business participation on contracts, and we applaud their efforts to not only meet, but exceed the state’s 25 percent goal for the past two Courtesy photo/Bowie State University Karl Brockenbrough, vice president of Finance and Administration for Bowie State University, says his team is proud the university was able to exceed the state goal for the second year in a row. Bowie State Exceeds Maryland MBE goals Surpasses milestone for second year in a row The U.S. House passed the Claims Resettlement Act which releases $1.5 billion for restitution to Black farmers. A F R O F i l e P h o t o

Prince George's County Afro-American Newspaper, December 4, 2010

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